Vocabulary List: Definitions and Meanings

Assuage

To make something less intense or severe; to ease or relieve.

Coalition

A group formed for a common purpose; an alliance.

Decadence

Moral or cultural decline due to excessive indulgence in pleasure or luxury.

Hackneyed

Overused and lacking originality; cliché.

Hiatus

A pause or gap in a sequence, series, or process.

Jaded

Worn out or dulled by overindulgence or excessive experience.

Lurid

Shockingly vivid or sensational, especially in a way that creates an unpleasant effect.

Prerogative

A special right or privilege exclusive to a particular person or group.

Transcend

To rise above or go beyond the limits of something.

Umbrage

Offense or annoyance; a feeling of being insulted.

Ameliorate

To make something better or improve it.

Bombastic

High-sounding but with little meaning; inflated or pompous.

Drivel

Silly, nonsense talk or ideas.

Epitome

A perfect example or embodiment of something.

Exhort

To strongly encourage or urge someone to do something.

Infringe

To violate or break a law, agreement, or right.

Intrinsic

Belonging naturally; essential or inherent.

Permeate

To spread throughout or pass through every part.

Stringent

Strict, precise, and exacting.

Surmise

To guess or suppose something without sufficient evidence.

Abominate

To detest or hate intensely.

Adventitious

Happening by chance or accident, not inherent or innate.

Ascribe

To attribute something to a cause, person, or source.

Commiserate

To express or feel sympathy or pity for someone's troubles.

Expedite

To speed up the process or progress of something.

Nominal

Existing in name only; very small or insignificant in amount.

Proclivity

A natural tendency or inclination toward something.

Seditious

Inciting or causing people to rebel against authority.

Tenuous

Weak, thin, or lacking a strong basis.

Vitriolic

Bitter, harsh, or caustic in tone or language.

Affable

Friendly, pleasant, and easy to talk to.

Amorphous

Without a clearly defined shape or form.

Archetype

An original model or typical example of something.

Erudite

Having or showing great knowledge or learning.

Inscrutable

Impossible to understand or interpret; mysterious.

Insular

Isolated, narrow-minded, or detached from others.

Querulous

Complaining in a whining manner.

Remonstrate

To protest or object strongly.

Scurrilous

Making or spreading scandalous claims with the intention of damaging reputation.

Sedulous

Showing dedication and diligence.

Amnesty

An official pardon for people who have been convicted of political offenses.

Caveat

A warning or caution to prevent misunderstanding or discourage certain behavior.

Equitable

Fair and impartial.

Filch

To steal something, usually of small value, in a sneaky way.

Fractious

Irritable and quarrelsome; difficult to control.

Salutary

Producing a beneficial effect; healthful.

Sepulchral

Gloomy, dismal, or relating to a tomb.

Soporific

Causing drowsiness or sleep.

Transient

Lasting only a short time; temporary.

Vapid

Dull, uninteresting, or lacking in flavor or spirit.